The Center for X-Ray Optics at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
works to further science and technology using short wavelength optical
systems and techniques. We create and operate advanced experimental
systems to address national needs, support research in material, life,
and environmental science, and extend the forefront of semiconductor
manufacturing.

"CXRO is a one-of-a-kind facility with over 25 years of experience providing
short wavelength optical solutions. From instrument development to scientific
discovery, our vertically integrated structure allows us to tackle a full
spectrum of research."

Researchers from the LBNL-DGIST Joint Institute of Microscopy have used the unique properties of magnetic soft x-ray microscopy to obtain a deeper fundamental understanding of nanoscale spin behavior, paving a way for potential device applications with unconventional spin textures. However, with current length scales in devices approaching fundamental limits, stochastic, i.e. intrinsically random processes, which so far have been associated mostly with thermal fluctuations, pose severe obstacles. Using the CXRO XM-1 soft-x-ray microscope at ALS Beamline 6.1.2 to study large arrays of asymmetrically shaped magnetic disks, it was found that the ultrafast dynamics controlling the vortex formation exhibits a characteristic chaotic behavior known as a butterfly effect, where minute changes can significantly determine the final outcome of a process. A fully deterministic behavior can be obtained by adjusting the disk distances.